Taking the lead on the border

At the end of last month I had the opportunity at the annual Border Governors Conference to come together with leaders from both the U.S. and Mexico to make important progress on issues where Arizonans demand results.

During the conference, I forged new agreements on the border with fellow governors and spoke with Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff about issues critical to Arizona – especially border security and human and drug smuggling.

Our federal government seems stuck in dealing with problems at the border, leaving the people of border states like Arizona waiting for solutions. Amid this gridlock, it’s important that we as states make progress where we can and keep pressure on the federal government to act where it must.

For one example, border states in the U.S. and Mexico are now on the same page in combating methamphetamines. Our porous border with Mexico is fueling meth in Arizona – the drug’s precursor chemicals are now imported to the U.S., brought to Mexico, made into meth and smuggled back. At the conference, border states committed to sharing information to combat smugglers. We pressured the federal government to do the same and help Mexican authorities crack down on meth manufacturing.

While border states in general are taking the lead on border issues, Arizona in particular is standing out as a trailblazer on border security. For border security to be most effective we need innovative and aggressive ideas to be adopted all across the border and not just on one stretch – and now, other states are following our lead.

· To attack human and drug smuggling, Arizona pioneered the use of “damming warrants.” The phenomenon of human and drug smuggling is driven by criminal syndicates, and, with this tool, we are drying up their financial backbone by targeting their wire transfers. Other states are looking into using this tool as well.

· Arizona is developing enhanced drivers’ licenses to reduce fraud and assist employers in verifying whether their employees are legal to work. Other states will be observing our lead on these “3-in-1” IDs.

Even if Washington is putting off border problems, border states are dedicated to taking action wherever we can, and to getting the federal government to keep its eye on the ball.

And as always, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact my office at 1-800-253-0883 and ask to speak to Constituent Services.

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